I meant to formulate this post back when I actually read the chapter on the sovereignty of God from the Attributes of God, but alas, I am slow and perpetually behind on blogging goals, haha.
This chapter really hit me for some reason at the time, but since then, I’ve had to really remind myself that nothing is outside His scope of control – He holds it all in hands, He is in control 100% of the time and there’s no margin of error.
Here are some key points Tozer makes in his sermon on sovereignty.
God’s sovereignty means that he is in control of everything, that he planned everything from the beginning.
Tozer, page 159
God Almighty is sovereign, free to do as he pleases. Among the things he is pleased to do is give me freedom to do what I please. And when I do what I please, I am fulfilling the will of God, not controverting it, for God in his sovereignty has sovereignly given me the freedom to make a free choice.
Tozer, page 161
If I choose to go to hell, it’s not what his love would have chosen, but it is not controvert nor cancel out his sovereignty.
Tozer, page 161
God Almighty came down and did the wonderful miracle of all miracles: He raised from the grave a Man that had died and glorified Him. And so the Sovereign God had His way in the whirlwind and the storm again. Today we are entering a period in history the likes of which there has never been since Jesus Christ and the Roman empire stood opposed to one another. The God who lived back then lives now, so I have no fear and no doubt; I can sleep restfully because I believe that God has His plans and will carry them out.
Tozer, page 169
At times, our fate is perceived to be dependent on humans. What other people do does effect us, but we have free will after all, right? What I’ve also learned recently from other reading (Feelings and Faith by Brian Borgman has helped expound upon these attributes of God, he even quotes Tozer!) and just thinking things through, is that our free will is not only free along the boundaries God has given us, but we’re ultimately slaves to something. We are slaves to sin or God. God gave us this free will out of love for us, another one of His many and Mighty attributes! Out of further love for us, He set boundaries for us as well. We’re protected by The Almighty, just like an earthly father would do. He cares about our growth and He knows how limited we are in our abilities, but He knows how crazy things would get without those boundaries for us. Unknowingly or forgetfully, we are dependent on God every single day, in all things.
Unlike us, God didn’t need to set boundaries for Himself. Anything is possible for Him because He has no bounds. He’s not bound by a rule book or human thoughts – He created those!!
Within the bounds of our free will, this gift from God, we have the power, although limited, to choose our flesh or the Spirit to lean on.
We Christians are in this mighty river, being carried along by the sovereign purposes of God.
Tozer, page 156
The things you are free to do are a gift from the God who is utterly free.
Tozer, 170
Something else, to go along with His sovereignty, is that nothing surprises God.
What someone does to us? What we choose daily to do? The world’s current affairs? The pending war between Russia and Ukraine?
God’s not surprised, taken aback, or flabbergasted.
The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
Nahum 1:3
Know therefore today, and lay it on your heart, that the Lord is God in Heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.
Deuteronomy 4:39
But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Matthew 19:26
- Are you needing a reminder of His control over your current circumstances?
- Because God has absolute freedom, how are you convicted to live your life?
- How have you experienced God’s gift of free will?
- What can you do to praise God today for His sovereignty?
- Will you choose the Spirit today?
- When unforeseen circumstances occur, do you think that they are unforeseen to God as well?
Thanks for this post. There is so much to ponder here. I have had some ridiculous fear and anxiety lately. So it is helpful to remember that God is sovereign. I need to trust Him and His sovereignty. Thank you for that reminder!
Maybe that’s why I was so delayed in writing it – you didn’t need it at the time! 🤗 I pray your fear and anxiety lessen and you’re able to find much needed rest in the Lord! 🙏🏻
I believe there’s a lot of fear and anxiety going around right now for all of us. You’re not alone. 🙂
Yes! God’s timing is perfect!! Thank you for your prayers. You are right, there is a lot going on in our world to cause fear and anxiety. But we have a Sovereign God!! 🙌🙏